Hari Seldon (cover art for Foundation, by Stephen Youll)

Hari Seldon is the intellectual hero of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. In his capacity as mathematics professor at Streeling University on Trantor, he developed psychohistory, allowing him to predict the future in probabilistic terms. His prediction of the eventual fall of the Galactic Empire is the reason behind his nickname "Raven" Seldon. Picture of Hari Seldon from cover of novel Foundation This work is copyrighted. ... Picture of Hari Seldon from cover of novel Foundation This work is copyrighted. ... Hari is another name of Vishnu or God in Vaishnavism, Smarta or Advaitan Hinduism, Ayyavazhi and appears as the 650th name in the Vishnu sahasranama. ... Paul and Stephen Youll are brothers and artists. ... In contrast to the archetypical mad scientist, there are a lesser number of heroic scientists and engineers depicted in western culture who go above and beyond the regular demands of their professions to use their skills and knowledge for the betterment of others, often at great personal risk. ... Dr. Isaac Asimov (c. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Trantor is a fictional planet in Isaac Asimovs Foundation series and Empire series of science fiction novels. ... Psychohistory is the name of a fictional science in Isaac Asimovs Foundation universe, which combined history, psychology and mathematical statistics to create a (nearly) exact science of the behavior of very large populations of people, such as the Galactic Empire. ... In Isaac Asimovs Robot/Empire/Foundation series of novels, the Galactic Empire is an empire consisting of planets settled by humans across the whole galaxy. ...

In the first five books of the Foundation Series, Hari Seldon made only one in-the-flesh appearance, in the first chapter of the first book (Foundation), although he did appear other times in pre-recorded messages in order to reveal a Seldon Crisis. After writing five books in chronological order, Asimov went back with two books to better describe the initial process. The two prequels—Prelude to Foundation and Forward the Foundation— describe his life in considerable detail. He is also the central character of the Second Foundation Trilogy written after Asimov's death (Foundation's Fear by Gregory Benford, Foundation and Chaos by Greg Bear, and Foundation's Triumph by David Brin), which are set between Asimov's two prequels. Hari Seldons holographic image, pictured on a paperback edition of Foundation, appears at various times in the First Foundations history, to guide it through the social and economic crises that befall it. ... Psychohistorian: Hari Seldon Foundation is the first book in Isaac Asimovs Foundation Trilogy (later expanded into The Foundation Series). ... A Seldon Crisis is a fictional socio-historical phenomenon in Isaac Asimovs Foundation Series of science fiction novels. ... Prelude to Foundation Prelude to Foundation is a novel written by Isaac Asimov. ... Forward the Foundation Forward the Foundation is a novel written by Isaac Asimov. ... Foundations Fear (1997) is a science fiction novel by Gregory Benford, set in Isaac Asimovs Foundation universe. ... Gregory Benford (born January 30, 1941) in Mobile, Alabama is an American science fiction author and physicist who is on the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine. ... Foundation and Chaos (1998) is a science fiction novel by Greg Bear, set in Isaac Asimovs Foundation universe. ... Gregory Dale Bear (born August 20, 1951) is a science fiction author. ... Foundations Triumph (1999) is a science fiction novel by David Brin, set in Isaac Asimovs Foundation universe. ... David Brin Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is a well-known American author of science fiction. ...

Biographical

Seldon was born in the 10th month of the 11,988th year of the Galactic Era (GE) (-79Foundation Era) and died 12,069 GE (1FE). In Asimov's saga, the Galactic Era had started when the Galactic Empire was founded (in an unknown date in the future, supposedly around twenty thousand years from now): the timeline can be induced from some hints Asimov dropped in his whole series, including the Robot series and the Empire trilogy. He was born on the planet Helicon in the Arcturus sector. His father was a tobacco grower in a hydroponics plant. He showed precocious mathematical abilities at a very early age. At the same time, he learned martial arts that later helped him on Trantor, the principal art being Heliconan Twisting (a form seemingly equal parts Jiu Jitsu, Krav Maga, and Submission Wrestling); it seems that Helicon is "less notable for its mathematics, and more for its martial arts." (Prelude to Foundation) His biography was written by Gaal Dornick. Isaac Asimov Isaac Asimov (c. ... In Isaac Asimovs Robot/Empire/Foundation series of novels, the Galactic Empire is an empire consisting of planets settled by humans across the whole galaxy. ... Isaac Asimovs Robot Series is a series of books by Isaac Asimov, both collections of short stories and novels. ... The Empire Trilogy is a collaboration between Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. ... In Isaac Asimovs Foundation Series, Helicon is the name of the home planet of Hari Seldon, discoverer and developer of psychohistory. ... Arcturus (α Boo / α Boötis / Alpha Boötis) (IPA: ) is the brightest star in the constellation Boötes, and the third brightest star in the night sky, with a visual magnitude of −0. ... Jujutsu (also jujitsu, ju jitsu, ju jutsu, or jiu jitsu; from the Japanese 柔術 jūjutsu gentle/yielding/compliant Art) is a Japanese martial art. ... Krav Maga (Hebrew קרב מגע: contact combat) is a martial art, at first developed in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s. ... Mark Mullen applies an armbar to Ernesto Martinez during the Open “Tap Out” Tournament. ... Gaal Dornick is a fictional character in Isaac Asimovs Foundation Series. ...

Foundation

Using psychohistory, Seldon found the right time and place to set up a new society, one that would replace the collapsing Galactic Empire by sheer force of social pressure, over a thousand-year time span. The Foundation originally named Terminus is a planet entirely populated by scientists and their families. The planet was riginally occupied to create the Encyclopedia Galactica, a vast compilation of the knowledge of a dying galactic empire. In Isaac Asimovs Robot/Empire/Foundation series of novels, the Galactic Empire is an empire consisting of planets settled by humans across the whole galaxy. ... An entry about the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation (Marketing Division) from the Encyclopaedia Galactica as featured on the BBC TV series The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. ...

Prelude to Foundation

As a thirty-two year old assistant professor of mathematics at Helicon University, Seldon visits Trantor from his native Helicon to attend the Decennial Mathematics Convention. He presents a paper which indicates that one could theoretically predict the Galactic Empire's future. At first, Seldon has no idea how this could be done in practice, and he is fairly confident that no one could actually fulfill the possibility. Shortly after his presentation, he becomes a lightning rod for political forces who want to use psychohistory for their own purposes. The rest of the novel tells of his flight, which lasts for approximately a year and which takes him through the complex and variegated world of Trantor. During his flight to escape the various political factions, he discovers how psychohistory can be made a practical science. It is in this novel that he meets his future wife Dors Venabili, future adopted son Raych Seldon, and future partner Yugo Amaryl. Trantor is a fictional planet in Isaac Asimovs Foundation series and Empire series of science fiction novels. ... In Isaac Asimovs Foundation Series, Helicon is the name of the home planet of Hari Seldon, discoverer and developer of psychohistory. ... In Isaac Asimovs Foundation Series, Dors Venabili is a good friend, protector and future wife of Hari Seldon, the primary character of Prelude to Foundation and Forward the Foundation. ... Raych Seldon is a fictional character in Isaac Asimovs Foundation Series. ... Yugo Amaryl is a fictional character in Isaac Asimovs Foundation series. ...

Forward the Foundation

This novel is actually told as a sequence of short stories, just as was the case with the original trilogy. They take place at intervals a decade or more apart, and tell the story of Hari's life, starting about ten years after Prelude and ending with his death. The stories contrast his increasingly successful professional life with his increasingly unsuccessful personal life. This article is in need of attention. ... Prelude to Foundation Prelude to Foundation is a novel written by Isaac Asimov. ...

In his old age, he gains the nickname Raven for his dire predictions of the future.

Footnote: 1. According to the Encyclopedia Galactica [Asimov's fictitious encyclopedia often cited in his future history novels), "It is thought that Seldon's birthdate,which some consider doubtful, may have been adjusted to match that of Cleon'" the last Galactic Emperor of the Entun Dynasty (Prelude to Foundation, p. 3).

External links

AsimovWiki